Stamford, Conn., station area plan unveiled

Stamford, Conn., interests unveiled a transit-oriented development (TOD) plan Thursday, July 11, 2013, designed in part to better tap passenger flows generated by the city's train station, served by both Metro-North and Amtrak.

Dubbed Station Place, the plan calls for an office and residential space, and a hotel, with station parking relegated to new garages east and west of the existing station. The site has been slated for redevelopment since at least 1995.

"This is going to be a true transit-oriented development," said JHM Group of Companies President John McClutchy, the developer chosen by Connecticut to advance the project, according to local media.

McLutchy was joined by Department of Transportation Commissioner Jim Redeker, Stamford Mayor Michael Pavia, state Rep. William Tong, whose district includes Stamford, and members of an advisory group appointed by Gov. Dannel Malloy.

Redeker noted that parking issues, while not yet fully addressed, were being dealt with, noting new parking in the South State Street garage and the new Manhattan Street development would be linked to station platform areas by covered pedestrian bridges and will be as close, or closer, to the platforms than existing parking is now.

"Every one of the parking spaces will have direct platform access, regardless of what structure they are in," he said.

Stamford is Metro-North’s third-busiest station, and serves as both an origin and destination point for Metro-North New Haven Line ridership. The city’s estimated population (by the U.S. Census Bureau) in 2012 was 125,109. <br><br>